as my world turns – beauty products North America, skincare products

ugh bad Toronto spa experience!

One thing I try to keep to minimum here is my complaining. However, I did have a a horrendous experience at a spa recently (after the other half purchased a team buy deal which I appreciate)….I probably should have known that things wouldn’t go well, but…..

looks are deceiving-enter at own risk

At first, I wanted to post this anonymously on ChickAdvisor but then thought to myself…well, it was a bad experience and people need to know about this place. Here is an example of what happens when you write a bad review about Rhythm Spa:

This place gets bad reviews for a reason….here’s another bad review. Wondering if she will blame this on her staff….
I went to Rhythm spa for pampering in the form of manicure, pedicure, massage. When I entered, the owner (Maria) was on the phone and didn’t bother to get off the phone or say hello to me. I hung up my own coat and sat down by myself. Another employee asked if I was there for an appointment and I told her I was. She told me I would get my mani/pedi first and then have the massage. The spa itself is pretty and I did like the decor. I was seated on raised chair and put my feet in this individual pedicure spa. The person doing my pedicure did a lot of (very strange) examining of the tools and looking back and forth. She started doing the pedicure-cut my cuticles to the point they were bleeding and I had to tell her to stop. She told me the tools were ‘brand new and very sharp’ (her English was not very good). Then she took the foot file to the bottoms of my feet….bleeding again and cuts. I told her to stop and she told me my feet were dry (yes I know but could you please not cut me up?). The owner was working on a client next to me and handed the girl the scrub and said use this. Imagine how the scrub felt after the scrapes on my feet…..relaxing? Nope!

Shall I speak of the owner? Hmm- gossiping with client about past employees and how bad they were-how much money they lost her, how many free certificates she had to give out? Then telling her client she knows this person, that person, name dropping all over the place (tacky, *yawn*) I guess she knew the girl or something but if I am sitting right next to them, is this appropriate talk? There was mention of all the people in the movie business she knows and that her client should hand over some head shots….it was just awkward and weird

While I was getting a pedicure, someone came in to use the infrared sauna. I happen to love those and asked the owner about it. she told me the spa offers memberships-and that this client had an unlimited package, so she could use the sauna for as long as she wants when she wants. I thought this was interesting. She also said, “Yeah everyone gets memberships here (you pay a price per month for services). My client has a membership and she has a membership. So basically you get better service if you have a membership? Is that why I got cut up during my pedicure?

So after the hellish pedicure, I got my manicure. This worked out much better-I had asked for a ‘reverse French manicure’. The girl didn’t know what I meant-and I just told her to put clear polish on. I was exhausting myself just trying to explain. The manicure was decent.

Massage-a huge open room with wooden foldable screen. I walked in and saw 2 massage beds and thought to myself, “Are they really going to massage someone else here?” The therapist told me that they often have couples and parties for massage but that we would have the room to ourselves. That helped a little. The massage therapist was good-she likes to talk though. As I got dressed, I realized that I was more stressed at that point then I was when I walked in.

As I was leaving, I noticed a man and a woman holding a marketing meeting in the ‘waiting area’ (I knew that’s what it was because the owner was complaining about a marketing woman bothering her and that her husband would deal with it). Great place to hold a meeting right?

I want to believe that things will improve, but I doubt it. I will never go back there-the owner is immature and obnoxious and the staff is not adequately trained. There are plenty of spas in Toronto that don’t cut your feet up and know what ‘reverse french manicures’ are.

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